Tactile Robotics

The development of effective systems for
artificial touch is crucial for future technology: without
human-like tactile dexterity, robots will not be able to solve the
physical and interactive tasks envisaged for advanced manufacturing
(e.g. autonomous assembly lines), assisted living (e.g. personal
robot helpers), food production (e.g. picking and sorting robots)
and healthcare (e.g. nursing and surgical robots).

Robots currently have poor tactile capabilities because no one
knows how to combine tactile perception and control of action to
give a robust sense of active touch. Yet clearly, the problem of
active touch has been solved in the human brain and hand. The major
aim of the theme of tactile robotics is to create and deploy robots
with human-like capabilities to perceive, explore and manipulate
their environments via the sense of touch.

Current projects

Researchers at the University of Bristol and Bristol Robotics
Laboratory have pioneered a biomimetic 3D-printed tactile
sensor—the TacTip (Tactile fingertip). This sensor has been in
continual development at Bristol Robotics Laboratory for a decade,
driving novel research in Medical Robotics, Soft Robotics and Tactile Robotics.

Tactile superresolution is a key enabling technology for
existing tactile sensors to operate sensitivities sufficient for
deployment in application areas such as healthcare technologies and
manufacturing the future.

Neuromorphic tactile sensing (EPSRC
Impact Acceleration)

Neuromorphic technology can be employed in electronic circuits
that mimic the information processing and encoding in neurons of
the brain. This project considers applying neuromorphic technology
to tactile sensing.